Start or stop Windows service from command line (CMD)

We normally use Services.msc to start or stop or disable or enable any service. We can do the same from windows command line also using net and sc utilities. Below are commands for controlling the operation of a service.

Command to stop a service:

To start a service:

You need to have administrator privileges to run net start/stop commands. If you are just a normal user on the computer, you would get an error like below.

To disable a service:

To enable a service:

To make a service start automatically with system boot:

Note: Space is mandatory after ‘=’ in the above sc commands.

This SC command works on a Windows 7 machine and also on the down-level editions of Windows i.e Windows XP/2003 and Windows Vista. Again, if you do not have administrator previliges you would get the below error.

Note that the service name is not the display name of a service. Each service is given a unique identification name which can be used with net or sc commands. For example, Remote procedure call (RPC) is the display name of the service. But the service name we need to use in the above commands is RpcSs.
So to start Remote procedure call service the command is:

These service names are listed below for each service. The first column shows the display name of a service and the second column shows the service name that should be used in net start or net stop or sc config commands.

Command: net stop wuauserv says service is starting or stopping

Hi ! I had some issues with windows update so I looked up some solutions and the one with running commands in cmd is only one but when I run the command: net stop wuauserv , it says the service is starting or stopping and same case is with command : net start wuauserv.

I have also tried the troubleshooter and trying to start the service from the list of services but the start stop are disabled and it shows as Stopping.

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

We appreciate your efforts in trying to resolve the issue. Let me assist you fix the issue.

Please share this information to assist you better.

1. Are you facing any issues with Windows update?
2. What is the make and model of the computer?
3. Which build is currently installed in your computer?
4. Have you made any recent changes prior to this issue?

Try these steps manually to reset the Windows Updates Components once again and then reinitiate the Windows Update process.

Resetting Windows Update Components will fix corrupt Windows Update Components and help you to install the Windows Updates quickly.

Please follow the below steps to reset the Windows Updates Components:

1. Press Windows Key + X on the keyboard and then select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.

2. Stop the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer and the Windows Update Services . To do this, type the following commands at a command prompt. Press the “ENTER” key after you type each command.

net stop wuauserv

net stop cryptSvc

net stop bits

net stop msiserver

3. Now rename the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folder. You can do this by typing the following commands in the Command Prompt. Press the “ENTER” key after you type each command.

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

4. Now, let’s restart the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer and the Windows Update Services . Type the following commands in the Command Prompt for this. Press the ENTER key after you type each command.

net start wuauserv

net start cryptSvc

net start bits

net start msiserver

5. Type Exit in the Command Prompt to close it and then restart the computer.

6.After restarting the computer, now retry to install Windows Updates.

Hope this information helps. Reply to the post with an updated status of the issue so that we can assist you further.

Is it possible to log who started or stopped a windows service?

I have some windows services written in C#. When somebody stops or starts the service, I would like to be able to determine who it was and log that information.

I tried logging Environment.UserName but that evaluates to SYSTEM even on my local machine.

Also, for the time being these services are running on Windows 2000 server.

5 Answers 5

Within the Event Viewer (Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Event Viewer) on the System tab the Service Control Manager logs who started and stop each event. I’ve just tested this myself and viewed the results. This leads me to two things:

1. You may be able to query or hook those events from the Service Control Manager as they happen, or
2. You can definitely just query the Event Viewer’s «System» log to look for those events for your Service.

Hope that leads you to your solution.

• You can filter the System EventLog by Service Control Manager

Event ID 7040 — covers Service start type change (eg disabled, manual, automatic)

Event ID 7036 — covers Service start/stop

For others that have PowerShell, you can use this:

You can enable auditing according to this article

Additionally, it may be a good idea to alert email to yourself in OnStop() method.

There probably isn’t a way. Any of the normal .NET ways that you get at the environment’s user are going to return the user whose credentials the service runs with (which will typically be SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, NETWORK SERVICE, etc).

How I’d probably do it is poll the system to see if a user is logged in, and assume that user did it. Of course, this discounts services that are shut down by the system for some reason (presumably your service would not be), and can only help you narrow it down if more than one user is logged in at one time (but then, you could always log both of them).

1. Just open Event Viewer (Start menu -> Search «Event» Event Viewer will come, open it)
2. Expand ‘Windows Log’ on Event viewer left menu.
3. Click on Application. (It will show your application error with description in ‘general’ tab.
4. Again try to start your service and from event viewer see what is exact cause for stopping briefly in ‘general’ tab.

Not the answer you’re looking for? Browse other questions tagged c# windows-services or ask your own question.

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How to start and stop services manually on Windows 10

Source: Windows Central

On Windows 10, services are programs that run in the background without a user interface and enable system features (such as printing, networking, remote access, File Explorer, Windows Search, updates, etc.) and apps to operate as intended.

Although the system does a pretty good job managing background services, sometimes, you may need to control them manually when a feature or app isn’t working correctly, or an app requires you to manage its services manually.

Whatever the case it might be, Windows 10 includes at least four methods to stop, start, disable, or enable services using the Services console, Task Manager, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to manage system and apps services on your computer.

How to manage services using Services console

Using the Services consoles is perhaps the simplest method to stop, start, disable, or enable one or multiple services on Windows 10.

Stop service

To stop a running service using Services, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
3. Double-click the service that you intend to stop.

Click the Stop button.

Source: Windows Central

Quick tip: You can also manage the state by right-clicking the service and selecting the option. Or you can select the service and then use the controls at the top to start, stop, pause, or restart.

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the service will stop running on the device.

If you’re unable to stop a system service, consider that some services are required for the operation of Windows 10, and they can’t be stopped.

Start service

To start a service on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
3. Double-click the service that you intend to stop.

Click the Start button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the service you specified will start for the current session.

Disable service

To set a service a disabled, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
3. Double-click the service that you intend to stop.
4. Click the Stop button.

Use the «Start type» drop-down menu and select the Disabled option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the service will no longer start automatically after restarting your device.

Enable service

To enable a specific service, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
3. Double-click the service that you intend to stop.
4. Click the Start button.

Use the «Start type» drop-down menu and select the Automatic option.

These are the Startup types on Windows 10:

• Automatic – service starts at boot.
• Automatic (Delayed Start) – service start after boot.
• Manual – starts service manually as needed.
• Disabled – stops service from running.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Apply button.

Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the Windows 10 or app service will enable, but if it was in a stopped state, you’d need to start it manually or restart the device for the service to run.

How to manage services using Task Manager

Task Manager also includes a section to quickly manage services for Windows 10 and apps.

To stop, start, or restart a service using Task Manager, use these steps:

Open Start.

Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.

Quick tip: Windows 10 includes many other ways to open the experience, including right-clicking the taskbar and selecting the Task Manager option and using the Ctrl + Shift + ESC keyboard shortcut.

Right-click the service name, and select one of the options:

• Stop.
• Start.
• Restart.

Source: Windows Central

Quick note: Task Manager only displays the service name, not the display name. For example, if you’re using this method, you’ll the «Print Spooler» defined as «Spooler.»

Once you complete the steps, the service will respond to the option you selected.

How to manage services using PowerShell

You can also use PowerShell commands to manage background services for Windows 10 and apps.

Stop service

To stop a specific service with PowerShell, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

(Optional) Type the following command to view a list of all the services and press Enter:

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to stop a service and press Enter:

Stop-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME»

For example, this command stops the printer spooler service on Windows 10:

Stop-Service -Name «spooler»

Source: Windows Central

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service that you intend to stop. If you want to use the display name, replace -Name for -DisplayName and then specify the display name of the service.

Alternatively, you can also use this variant of the command to stop the service:

Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status stopped

Source: Windows Central

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service that you intend to stop. If you want to use the display name, replace -Name for -DisplayName and then specify the display name of the service. You only need the quotation marks if there’s a space within the name.

Quick tip: If you’re getting a dependency error, you can append the -force option in either of the commands to stop the service. For example, Stop-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Force .

After you complete the steps, the PowerShell command will stop the service on your device.

Start service

To start a Windows 10 or app service with PowerShell, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to start a service and press Enter:

Start-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME»

For example, this command starts the printer spooler service on Windows 10:

Start-Service -Name «spooler»

Source: Windows Central

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service. Using the display name is supported, replacing -Name for -DisplayName and then specify the display name of the service.

Alternatively, you can also use this variant of the command to start a service:

Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status running

Source: Windows Central

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service. If you want to use the display name, replace -Name for -DisplayName and then specify the display name of the service.

Once you complete the steps, the service will start on your computer.

Disable service

To disable a service using a PowerShell command, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to disable a service and press Enter:

Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status stopped -StartupType disabled

In the command, update «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service. If you want to use the display name of the service, then replace -Name for -DisplayName and specify the service name. If you want to disable the service without stopping it immediately, you can remove the -Status stopped portion of the command.

For example, this command disables the printer spooler service on Windows 10:

Set-Service -Name «spooler» -Status stopped -StartupType disabled

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, the PowerShell command will disable the specified service.

Enable service

To enable a specific background service with PowerShell, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to enable a service and press Enter:

Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status running -StartupType automatic

For example, this command enables the printer spooler service using PowerShell:

Set-Service -Name «spooler» -Status running -StartupType automatic

Source: Windows Central

Quick note: You may able to use the display -DisplayName option, but the command may also prompt you to supply the name of the service, adding an extra step to the process. If you want to enable the service without starting it immediately, you can remove the -Status running portion of the command.

Once you complete the steps, PowerShell will enable the service specified with the command.

How to manage services using Command Prompt

If you’re comfortable using the command line, Command Prompt offers the «net» command (older) to stop or start, or the «sc» command (newer) to stop, start, disable, or enable services on Windows 10.

Stop service

To stop a Windows 10 or app service with Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

(Optional) Type the following command to view a list of all the services and press Enter:

sc queryex state=all type=service

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to stop a service and press Enter:

net stop «SERVICE-NAME»

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name or display name of the service. You only need the quotation marks if there’s a space within the name.

For example, this command stops the printer spooler using the service name:

net stop «spooler»

Source: Windows Central

Alternatively, you can also use the more advanced «sc» command:

sc stop «SERVICE-NAME»

For example, this command stops the printer spooler using the service name:

sc stop «spooler»

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, the command will stop the specified service on Windows 10.

Start service

To start a service with the command line, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to start a service and press Enter:

net start «SERVICE-NAME»

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name or display name of the service. You only need the quotation marks if there’s a space within the name.

For example, this command starts the printer spooler using the service name:

net start «spooler»

Source: Windows Central

Alternatively, you can also use the «sc» command:

sc start «SERVICE-NAME»

For example, this command starts the printer spooler using the service name:

sc start «spooler»

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, the command will execute and start the service you specified.

Disable service

To disable a service with Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to disable a service and press Enter:

sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=disabled

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service that you want to disable.

For example, this command disables printer spooler using the service name:

sc config «spooler» start=disabled

Source: Windows Central

(Optional) Type the following command to stop the service and press Enter:

sc stop «SERVICE-NAME»

Quick note: When you disable a service, it doesn’t stop the current state of the service. You can either restart your computer or stop the service using the above command.

After you complete the steps, the sc command will run disabling the Windows 10 or app service you specified.

Enable service

To enable a service with a command, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to enable a service and press Enter:

sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=auto

In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service that you want to enable.

For example, this command enables the printer spooler automatically using the service name:

sc config «spooler» start=auto

Source: Windows Central

These are alternative commands to enable a particular service:

• Manual: sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=demand
• Automatic Delayed: sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=delayed-auto

(Optional) Type the following command to start the service and press Enter:

sc start «SERVICE-NAME»

Once you complete the steps, the service will enable and start automatically on reboot according to the command you used.

You can only use the «net» command to start or stop services. The «sc» command allows you to perform more tasks, including start, stop, enable, or disable services, among other options. If you’re choosing to manage services with command lines, then, in either case, it’s best to use the service name instead of the display name.

Also, when using any of the methods outlined above, consider that making modifications to the default settings can alter the operation of one or more features that depend on that service negatively affecting the experience. Furthermore, if you restart a service, you might be required to start its dependencies manually as well to make the app or feature operational again.

We’re focusing this guide on Windows 10, but the ability to manage services has been available for several years, which means that you can refer to this guide if you’re still running Windows 8.1, Windows 7, and older versions.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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